AVI-8 are known for their limited edition watches and for their support to Royal British Legion . The last time we reviewed an AVI-8 watch was the Hurricane Clowes. This time we are going to review the limited edition AVI-8 Hawker Hunter Chronograph RBL. The model we will be reviewing is the Legion Brown.

Features

MOVEMENT	Japan Meca-Quartz Chronograph
CASE MATERIAL	Stainless Steel
CASE SIZE (mm)	44
CASE THICKNESS (mm)	13.8
LUG TO LUG (mm)	52
LENS	Mineral Lens with Anti-Reflective Coating
INDEX	Applied index
BAND MATERIAL	Genuine Leather Strap
BAND WIDTH (mm)	22
EXTRA BAND	Black NATO Nylon Strap
WATER RESISTANCE (atm)	5
WEIGHT (g)	90

First Impression

The first thing you will see are the poppies etched on the dial. It is something magical and mesmerizing. The bezel and casing oozes boldness and reflects the ruggedness of the watch. There is also an extra crown at the 10 o’clock position, which you usually see on deep diver watches. It makes you question why is it there? Overall, we are sold on the watch, but will the rest of the features justify our first impression.

Dial

There is a lot going on with the dial on the AVI-8 Hawker Hunter. Firstly the dial has a convex design with an outer index. The outer index is more for chronograph and time measuring purpose. Going back to our first impression, we raised the question of why is there another crown at the 10 o’clock position, well, that crown measures and move this outer index. Rather than creating another norm chronograph watch, this extra feature makes it standout from the market. The outer index itself has a contrasting colour theme, with red and yellow, and this goes well against the overall black colour background.

Moving away from the other index, you have an applied index with larger numerals and a standard batons to measure the minutes and second. The numerals used are large and at the forefront of the dial. They do stand out but no overpowering, in terms of taking over the whole dial.

Two sub dial have been added to the dial. The minute sub dial located at the 12 o’clock position and the second at the 6 o’clock position. The sub dial are also quite large but simple in design so they blend in with the rest of the dial. One little issue from the sub dial is that the date window is located in the second sub dial. The date window is lost from the rest of the dial and will take sometime to read the date window.

The main attraction of the AVI-8 Hawker Hunter RBL, is the etched poppy. They are translucent and dotted all around the dial. Each poppy has been given a luminous coating and they simply look amazing during low light. Similarly, each numerals, along with the odd numerals on the outer index also have Swiss Luminova applied.

The design used on the hands are batons. They are simple and large enough to the read from a distance. Swiss Luminova has also been applied to the hands.

Overall, the dial is very alluring with its many features, however the only downfall is the date window. So far, so good!

Casing

The case size is 44mm by 13.8mm. It is on the larger side, but this is required given the features on the dial. It will take a lot of space on the wrist but we believe it is worth it. The lug to lug distance is 52mm, reflecting the size of the dial. The lugs are curved which helps to press the case on the wrist.

The fixed bezel has a coin cut design and it makes the watch looks like the engine of a fighter jet. A domed lens has been used and this helps to bring more attention to the case and also helps to bring the convex dial at the forefront of the watch.

In terms of the crown on the AVI-8 Hawker Hunter, a conical design has been used, reflecting a theme of a jet engine turbine. The pusher are crisp and responsive. The extra crown is also smooth and the inner bezel respond well.

Mineral lens has been used with applied AR. While glare is at its minimal, there are some reflections depending on the angle.

With a polished 316L stainless steel, the whole case is lifted up in the colour scheme and creates a very good looking watch.

The back casing has been engraved with RBL logo and your limited edition number.

Strap

Genuine leather strap has been used. The design suits the watch and gives it a sporty look. The strap itself is very comfortable and does not need breaking into. There are also enough holes, if you have a small wrist. The AVI-8 Hawker Hunter also comes with an extra nylon Nato strap. The Nato strap has an embroidered Two Petal poppy which is a nice touch.

The watch also comes with the tool to change the strap, so you do not have to worry about that.

Movement

Powering the watch is a Meca Quartz M-SII-VK61-D6BKW. This is a solid movement given the chronograph feature of the watch. The Meca Quartz helps with the smooth sweep on the second hand and also the crisp click of the pushers. Time accuracy is expected to be +- 20 seconds month, with a life expectancy of 3 years.

Buy, Shortlist or Avoid?

Before we go into this, we want to highlight that £15 from the sale of the watch will be paid to Royal British Legion Trading Limited.

Now, let’s get to our decision! This is a must buy watch. One of the reason is that the watch is littered with features and it just looks good. You will also owning a piece of history, as the watch is limited to 300 pieces. We also want to mention the price, £350/$405/€405. It is within the reasonable price range.

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